In these last days, and in the era of the church of the Laodiceans, there is much confusion about many things in the churches; as amidst a sea of waving tares, there is a remnant of true wheat which have been “tossed to and fro, and carried about by every wind of doctrine…”, but are slowly and surely coming out of the filth of “Mystery Babylon the Great” and her perverted doctrines, and being washed with water by the word of God, from which they have been truly gendered. As it is written, “And all thy children shall be taught of the LORD…” (Isaiah 54:13), and again, “And they shall all be taught of God.” (John 6:45).
It is unto that very remnant that this epistle is addressed. These days there is very much confusion and deception in the churches in many areas, largely because of two things.
First, what has been called “last days mania” —which has brought forth a virtual avalanche of books, videos, commentary Bibles, and teachings about the “last days” in prophecy, which has been geared by the god of this world (as have been the television, news media, music industry, and all of his other worldly enterprises) to appeal to the carnal mind of man which naturally desires to see and hear of excitement, danger, blood and gore, etc,…
And second, the readiness of mind of the lukewarm churchgoing multitudes (“—because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved.” – 2 Thessalonians 2:9) to receive the hype and pretended revelations of the false teachers of these last days (which shall utterly perish in their own corruption); coupled with their unwillingness to seek the Lord with fastings, prayers, and searching the scriptures.
One of the many deceptive doctrines which have been so readily accepted by the multitudes today is the concept that “Lucifer” (Isaiah 14:12) is another name for Satan, or that he is Satan himself. But, as we shall see, the scripture teaches no such thing.
The name “Lucifer” is the English transliteration of the Hebrew word “heylel” (Strong’s “1966), which comes from another Hebrew noun, “halal” (Strong’s #1984), which means, “…to be clear…to shine; hence to make a show, to boast; and thus to be (clamorously) foolish; to rave; to celebrate; etc…”
The name Lucifer is mentioned only once in the Bible, in the midst of a passage of scripture which is concerning a “proverb” which the children of Israel will take up against the “king of Babylon” in the days to come when the kingdom of God will have been established in the earth, and Israel will be living in their land in peace, and ruling over their oppressors (see Isaiah 14:1-4).
This will be the seventh day: the day of the LORD—when Jesus Christ will have come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, to sit upon the throne of his glory; and in this passage in Isaiah 14:5-23 is this proverb that Israel will use (in hindsight) against the “king of Babylon”, which is “the beast” (Revelation 13:4), “antichrist” (1 John 2:18), and the “son of perdition”
(2 Thessalonians 2:3); and also the word of the LORD concerning his death and destruction.
Who is Lucifer?
The scripture makes clear that Lucifer is a man.
“Is this the man that made the earth to tremble…?” (v. 16)
“But thou art cast out of thy grave as a carcase trodden under feet.” (v. 19)
“…thou hast…slain thy people—” (v. 20)
“Prepare slaughter for his children…For I will rise up against them…and cut off from Babylon the name, and remnant, and son, and nephew, saith the LORD.” (vv.21,22)
Why is this man called Lucifer? In 2 Samuel 23:3,4, we find the answer.
The last words of David (v.1) were to prophesy about his seed which was to come (our Lord Jesus Christ, the son of David) and of whom the LORD had said, “He shall build an house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever.” (2 Samuel 7:13). In 2 Samuel 23:3.4, we read, “He that ruleth over men must be just, ruling in the fear of God. And he shall be as the light of the morning, when the sun riseth…”.
There can be no question that David was speaking of our Lord Jesus Christ: for, he shall indeed rule over all men –
Daniel 7:13,14; Matthew 28:18; 1 Timothy 6:15, he is just – Zechariah 9:9; 1 Peter 3:18; 1 Timothy 3:16,
he will rule in the fear of God – Isaiah 11:2; Psalm 45:4; Hebrews 5:7-10, and he is as the light of the morning, when the sun riseth.
“I am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright and morning star.” (Revelation 22:16)
The reason that this man (Antichrist) is called Lucifer is because, when he arrives, he will, “oppose and exalt himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped, “ — so that “he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.” (2 Thessalonians 2:4—see also Isaiah 14:13,14; Ezekiel 28:2,6,9).
Remember that our Lord Jesus declared in John 5:43,
“I am come in my Father’s name, and ye receive me not: if another shall come in his own name, him ye will receive.”
…and so they will.
“—and they worshiped the beast—” (Revelation 13:4)
“And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie; that they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.” (2 Thessalonians 2:11,12)
So we can see from the scriptures that this man is called Lucifer, somewhat sarcastically by the LORD’S people, because he will have magnified himself above all, proclaiming himself to be the morning star, the God above all gods, when in fact, at the time this proverb (Isaiah 14:4-20) shall be spoken, the TRUE morning star, and God above all gods, the Lord Jesus Christ, will have consumed him with the spirit of his mouth, and destroyed him with the brightness of his coming; and he will have been proven to be a fraud, and a mere man.
And, being a Jewish man;
“—thou hast destroyed thy land, and slain thy people…” (Isaiah 14:20)
“Thou shalt die the deaths of the uncircumcised by the hand of strangers—” (Ezekiel 28:10)
“Neither shall he regard the God of his fathers…” (Daniel 11:37)
…he will not even receive the honour of a decent burial, but his carcase shall be trodden under feet as the bodies of the uncircumcised multitudes who shall be meat for the fowls of the air (Revelation 19:21), even as king Jehoiakim was dishonoured in his death for his treachery against the living God (Jeremiah 36:22-25; 22:18,19).
“…they shall not lament for him, saying, Ah, lord! or, Ah, his glory! He shall be buried with the burial of an ass, drawn and cast forth beyond the gates of Jerusalem.”
In Ezekiel chapter 28, we can see clearly the difference between Lucifer and Satan. The man Lucifer is called “the prince of Tyrus” in verse 2, and is addressed in verses 2-10. This is indeed the very antichrist, who will say, “I am a God, I sit in the seat of God, in the midst of the seas…”, of whom the angel told Daniel, “And he shall plant the tabernacles of his palace between the seas in the glorious holy mountain; yet he shall come to his end, and none shall help him.” (Daniel 11:45). This is the man of whom the apostle Paul prophesied in 2 Thessalonians 2:3-9, and of whom the apostle John spake in 1 John 2:18, calling him “antichrist”. The next passage (Ezekiel 28:11-19) speaks of someone totally different, who is referred to as “the king of Tyrus”.
It is important to note here that the name “Tyrus” is translated from the Hebrew word “tsuwr” (Strong’s #5697), which is defined by James Strong as being “…a rock or boulder; figuratively a refuge…” and is also translated “God” in Isaiah 44:8: “Is there a God beside me? yea, there is no God; I know not any.”.
This is important to understand when we read the prophecies against Tyrus (the city of Tyre) in Ezekiel 26 & 27, and against “the prince of Tyrus” (Ezekiel 28:1-10), and “the king of Tyrus” (Ezekiel 28:11-19). All three subjects are aptly named because they magnified themselves before God, and even (in their own wills) to be above God. And “the king of Tyrus” is no exception. There is no question who is being spoken of in this passage of scripture. He was in Eden; perfect in beauty—covered with precious stones, with tabrets and pipes in his very workmanship. He is the anointed cherub. A cherub is not a man, but an angel. (See Ezekiel 1:5-14; 10:1-15 for a description of cherubims.)
He was upon the holy mountain of God, in the midst of the stones of fire (the holy angels, or elect angels—1 Timothy 5:21; Psalm 104:4; 1 Peter 2;5). He was perfect in his ways from the day he was created, till iniquity was found in him. That can in no wise be a man, for the Bible declares that all men are born in sin (Psalm 51:5; Romans 5:12). And the only man who was in Eden was Adam, and Adam was definitely not a cherub. So, there is only one other possible solution. It is the serpent. And he is very clearly identified in the scripture. ” — the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan…” (Revelation 20:2; 12:9) So, we can see clearly from the scripture that Lucifer is not Satan. Lucifer is antichrist; a man yet to come, of whom the prophets of old have spoken very much by the Holy Ghost.
- He is a man who will claim to be the Christ, the Saviour of the world (Matthew 24:4,5; Revelation 13:4).
- He will be risen from the dead (Revelation 13:3; 17-8).
- He will deceive many with power and signs and lying wonders after the working of Satan (2 Thessalonians 2:9; Revelation 13:12-14).
- He will exalt himself as God (Isaiah 14:13, 14; Ezekiel 28:2; 2 Thessalonians 2:4).
- He will set his throne in Jerusalem (Isaiah 14:13; Ezekiel 28:2; Daniel 11:45), and rule the world (Isaiah 14:16,17; Revelation 13:8).
- He will persecute the saints to death (Revelation 13:15-17; Daniel 7:25; 8:24; 12:7),
…and then our glorious Lord Jesus Christ will destroy him with a mighty and an everlasting destruction
(Daniel 8:25; 2 Thessalonians 2:8; Isaiah 14:15; Ezekiel 28:9,10; Revelation 19:20; 20:10)
…and the TRUE bright and morning star, the Lamb of God, the Lord Jesus Christ, will reign for ever and ever, and his saints with him, and of his kingdom and dominion there shall be no end.
Amen!
Let us also be careful not to confuse the destruction of antichrist (Isaiah 14:12,13)
with Satan and his angels being cast out of heaven unto the earth. (Revelation 12:7-9)
In the day of the Lord Jesus Christ, the Israel of God will proclaim, “How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! How art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations!”, because, being a man, he will have exalted himself as God, and ruled the world with cruelty, and persecuted the true people of God; and at that time he will have been destroyed, and shown before all to be, ” — a man, and no God.” (Ezekiel 28:9), and the people of God will be rejoicing over his destruction, and the overwhelming victory of the God of Abraham who came in the flesh, our Lord Jesus Christ.
The vision that the apostle John saw in the Revelation, chapter 12, is something altogether different. His vision is not of Lucifer, the antichrist; but rather of the dragon, which is the Devil and Satan. As we have seen previously, Satan is an angel— a cherub; not a man. And the Bible teaches that Satan is “the god of this world” (2 Corinthians 4:4), “the prince of the power of the air” (Ephesians 2:2), and that he and his angels (except those who left their first estate before the flood—Genesis 6:1-4; 2 Peter 2:4; Jude l:6) are operating in “high” or “heavenly” places (Ephesians 6:12). The book of Job reveals furthermore that Satan is in heaven and can come before the throne of God (Job 1:6,7; 2:1,2) as well as walk to and fro in the earth. For this reason he is called “the accuser of our brethren” (Revelation 12:10).
But there will come the day and the hour when Satan and all his evil angels will be cast out of heaven into the earth, and, in desperation and terrible fury, will persecute the people of God during the Great Tribulation (Revelation 12:12-17; Matthew 24:21), And, when “the powers of heaven” have been shaken (Haggai 2:6; Hebrews 12:26-29; Luke 21:26), “…then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.” (Luke 21:27).
So, although these two events (Isaiah 14:12,13 ; Revelation 12:7-9) will occur very close to one another (if not simultaneously) in time, it is important to understand the difference between the two; and, by searching the scriptures, that difference is made quite plain indeed.
It is written that the scriptures are able to make one wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus (2 Timothy 3:15). Let us heed the admonition of the apostle Peter,
“We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed,as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts…” 2 Peter 1:19,
…and abide in the word of Christ our Lord, that we be not ashamed before him at his coming. It is the prayer of this elder, teacher, and disciple that this brief epistle will both open the eyes of all the called of God in this age to the truth concerning the scriptural revelation of antichrist (Lucifer), and of Satan, that subtil serpent (for we are not ignorant of his devices); and also provoke the chosen generation, the royal priesthood of the living God, to a greater diligence in fastings, prayers, and searching the scriptures: that the people of God may be the wise and discerning people he desires us to be, and that, having come out of the filth of the “Mother of Harlots”, we may be united in the Spirit and in the truth; and a pure, chaste, holy virgin bride, a people made ready for the soon coming of our blessed Bridegroom, the Lord Jesus Christ!
Glory, laud, and honour are his forevermore.
“And many false prophets shall arise, and shall deceive many. And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold. But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.”
(Matthew 24:11-13)
“Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame.”
(Revelation 16:15)
Peace be with all them that love the Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity.
Amen.
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